Adjustable swim and sun suit panty garment

ABSTRACT

An adjustable swim and sun suit panty garment having adjusting means for converting the width of the hip bands from the comparatively wide bands of a hip hugger to the comparatively narrower bands of a bikini. The adjusting means is entirely concealed within the hip bands when the garment is worn in a conventional manner. When the garment is converted, only the neatly decorative midportion of the adjusting means is visible from outside the garment. The garment may be converted back and forth as desired.

United States Patent Block [151 3,654,630 [451 Apr. 11, 1972 [54] ADJUSTABLE SWIM AND SUN SUIT PANTY GARMENT [72] Inventor: Lester W. Block, 8520 Warner Drive, Culver City, Calif. 90230 [22] Filed: Sept. 23, 1970 [21] Appl. No: 74,775

[52] U.S. Cl. ..2/67, 2/224 A, 2/238 [5]] Int. Cl. ..A4ld 7/00 [58] Field of Search ..2/67, 224 R, 224 A, 225, 226,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,876,779 3/1959 Ebert ..2/224 A X Klein ..2/24O X FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 1,266,657 6/1961 France ..2/224A 636,684 5/1950 GreatBritain ..2/224A Primary Examiner-H. Hampton Hunter Att0meyRobert C. Comstock [5 7] ABSTRACT An adjustable swim and sun suit panty garment having adjusting means for converting the width of the hip bands from the comparatively wide bands of a hip hugger to the comparatively narrower bands of a bikini. The adjusting means is entirely concealed within the hip bands when the garment is worn in a conventional manner. When the garment is converted, only the neatly decorative midportion of the adjusting means is visible from outside the garment. The garment may be converted back and forth as desired.

4 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures PATENTEDAPR 1 1 I972 K RM m0 s w N3. W0 w. cw WW CA RY T m; L

M MW i am ADJUSTABLE SWIM AND SUN SUIT PANTY GARMENT BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The invention relates to a swim and sun suit panty garment SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A panty garment which incorporates means for simply and neatly adjusting the width of the hip bands to convert the garment from a hip hugger to a bikini. The garment is converted to a bikini in such a manner that the conversion means is decorative rather than unsightly. No loose strings, tying or bows are involved or required.

With this invention, there is no unsightly bunching of the fabric. Instead, the hip bands are loosely and neatly encircled into attractive folds. Because the amount of pressure is premeasured, the fabric is not held too tight or too loose. The pressure exerted on the seams tends to turn them inwardly instead of outwardly, so the inner lining is not exposed. The narrowing is achieved with a finished rather than a crude, homemade look. The garment can be quickly and easily converted back and forth from one type of garment to the other.

The adjustment means is so simple and economical that it adds substantially nothing to the cost of its manufacture, while saving the wearer the cost of purchasing two separate garments. Even more important, the retailer is saved the cost of carrying a complete duplicate inventory of hip huggers and bikinis, since both types of garments are popular.

It is accordingly among the objects of the invention to provide an adjustable panty garment having all of the advantages and benefits set forth above. The invention also' comprises such other objects, advantages and capabilities as will later more fully appear and which are inherently possessed by the invention.

While I have shown in the accompanying drawings preferred embodiments of the invention, it should be understood that the same are susceptible of modification and change without departing from the spirit of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of the bikini panty garment showing the hip band in a hip hugger width, with one side broken away to show the adjusting means concealed within the inside of the hip band;

FIG. 2 is a partial inside elevational view of the hip band and adjusting means taken substantially along line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a front elevational view of the garment with the adjusting means in use to convert the garment to a bikini having a narrower hip band;

FIG. 4 is a partial inside elevational view showing the hip band with the adjusting means in use taken substantially along line 4-4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a partial outside elevational view similar to FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 2, showing an alternative embodiment of the invention in which a strap is used for the adjusting member in place of a pair of cordsor bands.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A first preferred embodiment which has been selected to illustrate the invention comprises a panty garment 10, which is constructed in a conventional manner except for the hip band adjustment means. The garment 10 includes a pair of substantially wide hip bands 11 at its opposite sides.

A hip band adjusting member comprises a pair of cords 13, which are secured at their upper ends to the upper seam 14, which extends along the upper edge of the hip band 11. The cords 13 form a loop 15 at their opposite ends. The cords 13 are stitched to each other by stitching 16 disposed somewhat upwardly from the end of the loop 15.

A button 17 is mounted on the inside of the hip band 11 adjacent to the lower seam 18 which extends along the lower edge of the hip band 11. The loop 15 is dimensioned to removably fit around the button 17. The identical structure is provided on the inside of the hip band 11 on the opposite side of the garment 10.

When the garment is worn as a hip hugger with comparatively wide hip bands 11, the adjustment means are arranged in the manner shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings, with the cords 13 extending vertically downwardly from the upper seam l4 transversely across and substantially parallel to the inside of the hip band 11. The loops 15 are secured around the buttons 17, so that the entire adjusting means is securely held and concealed behind the hip bands 11.

When the garment is converted for use as a bikini having narrower hip bands, the loops 15 are removed from around the buttons 17. The cords 13 are carried downwardly around the lower edge of the hip band 11, brought around the outside of the hip band 11 and then brought downwardly over the upper edge of the hip band 11. The loops 15 are re-secured around the buttons 17.

The result is that the hip bands 11 are drawn together to less than half of their former width, without any buttons or straps appearing on the outside of the garment except for the neat and decorative midportion of the cords 13, as best shown in FIG. 5 of the drawings. The hip bands 11 are loosely encircled, so that they fold in an attractive and finished manner, with no unsightly bunching or twisting. Because the length of the ad justing member is predetermined by the manufacturer, the adjusting pressure is never too tight or too loose. There is no unsightly exposure of the seams or the inner lining of the garment because the seams are urged inwardly rather than outwardly.

The garment may easily be converted back to a hip hugger by releasing the adjusting members on both sides of the garment and restoring them to the positions originally described.

The cords 13 are preferably covered with the same fabric as the outside of the garment 10 or are such other color as will render them attractive in use or match other parts of the ensemble.

FIG. 6 of the drawings shows an alternative embodiment of the invention in which the hip band adjusting member comprises a single strap 20 having a buttonhold 21 which fits around a button 22. The operation of the device is the same as that described above.

Iclaim:

1. An adjustable panty-type outer garment having a crotch portion, leg openings adjacent said crotch portion and a pair of hip bands on opposite sides thereof, an elongated hip band width adjusting member disposed entirely on the inside of each of said hip bands in a concealed position when said garment is worn as a hip hugger with substantially wide hip bands, one end of said elongated adjusting members being secured to said garment, separable fastening means disposed on the inside of said hip bands for removably holding the other end of said adjusting members in said concealed positions, said adjusting members being movable to a second position in which they extend around and completely encircle said hip bands to fold and compress said hip bands to a substantially narrower width when said garment is worn as a bikini, said fastening means removably holding said adjusting members in said second positions with only the midportions of said adjusting members being exposed when said garment is worn as a bikini.

2. The structure described in claim 1, each of said hip bands having an upper edge and a lower edge, said fastening means being disposed adjacent to one of said edges, said one end of each of said adjusting members being secured adjacent to the other of said edges, said adjusting members extending substan- 4. The structure described in claim 3, said garment having seams extending along its upper and lower edges, the upper end of each of said adjusting members being stitched into the upper seam of said garment, and said buttons being disposed adjacent to the lower seams of said garment. 

1. An adjustable panty-type outer garment having a crotch portion, leg openings adjacent said crotch portion and a pair of hip bands on opposite sides thereof, an elongated hip band width adjusting member disposed entirely on the inside of each of said hip bands in a concealed position when said garment is worn as a hip hugger with substantially wide hip bands, one end of said elongated adjusting members bEing secured to said garment, separable fastening means disposed on the inside of said hip bands for removably holding the other end of said adjusting members in said concealed positions, said adjusting members being movable to a second position in which they extend around and completely encircle said hip bands to fold and compress said hip bands to a substantially narrower width when said garment is worn as a bikini, said fastening means removably holding said adjusting members in said second positions with only the midportions of said adjusting members being exposed when said garment is worn as a bikini.
 2. The structure described in claim 1, each of said hip bands having an upper edge and a lower edge, said fastening means being disposed adjacent to one of said edges, said one end of each of said adjusting members being secured adjacent to the other of said edges, said adjusting members extending substantially parallel to the insides of said hip bands between said edges when said garment is worn as a hip hugger.
 3. The structure described in claim 2, each of said fastening means comprising an inwardly facing button and each of said adjusting members having a button receiving opening at the free outer end thereof.
 4. The structure described in claim 3, said garment having seams extending along its upper and lower edges, the upper end of each of said adjusting members being stitched into the upper seam of said garment, and said buttons being disposed adjacent to the lower seams of said garment. 